Mind Altering Plants Rooted in Human Society


- Use of psychoactive plants dates to earliest societies
- mix of medicine & spirituality
- 6,000 years ago, Opium = ‘joy plant’
- Hieroglyphs show prominent use in Ancient Egypt
- belief that certain plants have spiritual properties
- ashwagandha, lotus, reed, acacia, henbane, opium
- ‘Spirit Molecule’ in indigenous tribes of the Amazon
- Ayahuasca vine and Chacruna shrub
- molecule ‘DMT’ powerful hallucinogen
- DMT from Acacia used in many cultures
- ‘Golden Wattle’ is botanical emblem of Australia
Psychoactive Drugs
- Affect nervous system by influencing neurotransmitters
- or mimicking them
- neurons → transmitters → receptor
- inhibitory or excitatory
- Psychoactives can be stimulants, hallucinogens or depressants
- narrow line between medicinal, psychoactive & toxic
- Stimulants = excite and enhance mental alertness
- Hallucinogens = change perception
- Depressants = dull mental awareness & induce sleep

Psychoactive Drugs: Narcotics
- Narcotics depression central nervous system
- also defined as addictive
- Psychoactive plants fall into both categories
- Active compounds are mostly alkaloids
- contain nitrogen, bitter, affect CNS
- Many angiosperms families contain psychoactive alkaloids
- nightshade, poppy, coffee, coca, nutmeg & morning glory



Opium Poppy: An Ancient Curse
- Large annual herb, ovary matures into capsule
- Native to Middle east
- green capsule produces latex w/ alkaloids
- Dried latex is crude opium
- Opium (Papaver somniferum) present in early societies
- Babylonian and Egyptian writings
- pain relief & inducing sleep
- addictive properties became ‘curse’
- Uses differ throughout history
- dissolved in wine
- dissolved in alcohol (laudanum)
- eaten & smoked

The Lure of Laudanum


Opium Wars
- Opium use tied to history of China
- use increased when tobacco was introduced (1600)
- addiction increased, banned by Emperor
- Addiction fueled by trade with British!
- Chinese had no interest in European goods
- wanted silver or Opium
- British East India Company smuggled in opium
- opium widely cultivated in India
- Chinese gov’t tried to stop smuggling
- 2 Opium Wars, starting in 1839
- 25% of Chinese addicted

Opium Alkaloids
- More than 20 alkaloids identified in Opium
- Morphine = named after Greek god of dreams
- first active principle isolated
- unsurpassed in pain relief
- depresses areas in brain involved in pain perception
- highly addictive
- Codeine is one of the most commonly used opiates
- oral analgesic
- 1/5 as strong as morphine
- suppresses coughs

Soldiers Disease: Did Civil War Start Opiod Epidemic?


Heroin
- In 1898, BAYER introduced heroin
- believed was a nonaddictive opiate
- semi-synthetic used widely over-the-counter
- Americans could order from Sears
- Heroin is actually 6x more addictive than morphine
- no longer medicinally used in USA
- no longer legally produced in USA
- India still produces heroin for medicine
- Middle east and Asian countries large illegal production

Marijuana: One of the Oldest Cultivated Plants
- Cannabis sativa is a dioecious plant, with resin production on trichomes
- resin is source of psychoactive compounds
- native to central Asia, grown globally
- Marijuana is highly variable is size and growth
- potentially 3 separate species
- Used for various purposes in many cultures

Early history of Cannabis
- Use of Cannabis traced to ancient China
- valued from fiber and medicine
- Emperor Nung (5,000 years ago) recommended for medicine
- Ancient nomadic Asian horsemen first records of smoking
- ritual ceremonies ~500 B.C.
- Spread from Asian to India ~600 B.C.
- folk medicines use extensively
- 1 of 5 sacred plants
- bhang (variety) sold outside Hindu temples

Introduction of Cannabis to the West

- Europeans cultivated hemp fibers for centuries
- use as psychoactive around 19th century
- Rumored Napoleon’s armies popularized smoking
- popular in Paris (1850’s) among intellectuals
- US from Mexico or Caribbean (~1900)
- recreational and over-the-counter medicine
- eliminated medicinal use
- Federal Marijuana Tax Act (1937)
- gov’t ‘educational campaigns’
Pyschoactive Effects of THC
- Chemistry of Cannabis is unique phenolic compounds
- cannabinoids not alkaloids
- THC (psychoactive) identified in 1964
- THC concentration varies by strain, sex, climate & growing conditions
- effects include euphoria and calmness
- Regions of the brain contain cannabinoid receptors
- THC receptors in high densities in several brain areas
- THC receptors found in immune system cells
- THC mimics naturally produced cells for these receptors


The Origins of Cocaine
- Cocaine is the major alkaloid of coca plant (Erthroxylum)
- small shrub with shiny leaves
- native to Andes mountains of S.America
- Alkaloids can be harvested from leaves 2-3 times a years
- Archaeology evidence indicates plants used for at least 3500 years
- believed a god created coca plant
- Coca chewing was mostly restricted to ruling class
- soldiers and workers allowed for endurance
- Coca leaves exchanged for food


Freud, Holmes & Coca-Cola
- Modern history begins with isolation of cocaine in 1850’s
- Sigmund Freud was a huge advocate
- Cocaine became over-the-counter drug in the USA
- effective in draining sinuses and curing headaches
- Coca-wine one of the most popular beverages
- In 1886, Atlanta pharmacist created Coca-Cola
- ‘brain tonic’
- cocaine removed in 1903
- Widespread use evident in 19th & 20th century literature
- Sherlock Holmes was a cocaine user

Harrison Act (1914): First Anti-narcotic Law


Medical Uses of Cocaine
- Cocaine acts as local anesthetic
- blocks nerves receptor at application site
- Common synthetic local anesthics similar to cocaine
- Novocain, lidocaine, xylocaine
- Constricts blood vessels, reducing blood flow
- popular in many surgeries

Tobacco: A New World Habit
- Nicotania is a genus of 65 species
- annual herb w/ large leaves
- native to Americas & Australia
- cultivated in Andes ~5000 B.C.
- Nicotine is major alkaloid in tobacco
- most addictive plant psychoactive in widespread use
- Mayans & Aztecs used for pleasure, rituals and medicines
- 2 Mayan gods were depicted as habitual smokers
- Modern cigarette appears in Europe after Crimean war
- first cigarette machine in 1881
- really increased after WW1

Nicotine Effects
- One of the most toxic plants poisons
- ingestion of a few drops is lethal
- carcinogen
- Acts as a stimulant on the CNS
- Acts on the peripheral nervous system
- blocks heat, pain & hunger signals
- increases heart rate
- Tobacco industry now on the defensive
- advertising and promotion banned
